Tile basins for showers, bathtubs and the like have become extremely popular. Typically, a tile basin is constructed by first placing a cement backer board over the subfloor (typically plywood) of the desired location. Next a bottom waterproofing layer is applied to the cement board. Concrete is then poured over the bottom waterproofing layer and a top waterproofing layer is applied to the concrete after it has hardened. Finally, the tile is applied above the top waterproofing layer. The cement board, the bottom waterproofing layer, and the concrete are all installed around the housing of a drain for the basin. Typically a gap of approximately 1½ inches is left between the drain housing and the edge of the second waterproofing layer. This is intended to allow moisture to seep through the concrete and into the drain through weep holes in the drain housing. Notwithstanding, in practice the weep holes around the sides of the drain housing do very little to ensure that all moisture captured within the basin actually exits through the drain. Moreover, intentionally allowing moisture to seep into the concrete can often result in leaks and other problems. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a tile floor drain that is completely “water tight” (e.g. allows for the top waterproofing layer to continue all the way to the edge of the drain body).
In addition, most prior art drains require that the drain height be determined before the concrete is poured. This requires the installer to determine the thickness of the tile that will be installed around the drain, and set the height of the drain above the top of the concrete surface an amount approximately equal to the thickness of the tile. Once the concrete is poured, the height of the drain can no longer be adjusted. For example, with respect to common circular drains used in tile basins, the threads of the drain are surrounded by the concrete. Thus, if the homeowner decides to use a different thickness of tile, the drain must be broken out of the concrete, and costly repairs to the area are often required. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a tile floor drain that is capable of being adjustable in height even after concrete has been poured and hardened around the drain body.
Finally, linear drains are often desirable for larger tile basins. The linear drains are typically designed to extend from wall to wall within the basin. As such, linear drains are typically custom-ordered and manufactured to the specific length required for a particular basin, often requiring 4 to 6 weeks of lead time. This results in linear drains being extremely time consuming to install (often requiring 4 to 6 weeks wait until custom drain is manufactured), as well as very expensive. Some adjustable length linear drains have been developed, but such drains require the installer to piece together multiple “links” until the desired length of drain is obtained. This is extremely time consuming and cumbersome for the installer. In addition, the complexity and multiple components of such drains create ample opportunity for improper installation and leakage. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a linear tile floor drain that is capable of easier installation in basins of varying dimensions.